Falling Leaf in the Wind
by black angel 2011
Summary: Leaf's parents were killed in an accident leaving an already penniless Leaf with nothing but her friends. This accident also leaves the brunette her only source of strength Ash Ketchum who is in a far away region. Leaf resolves to catch up with him and beat him in battle, just to prove to herself and Ash that she can stand on her own two feet, AshXLeaf
1. Ash's Shadow

**Falling Leaf in the wind.**

**Chapter 1: Ash's shadow.**

**Ash: 20**

**Leaf: 19**

_Now I haven't done a proper furthershipping story since the Evolvers mess, but this will be it, one that I can be proud of. I am also having a break from my other stories so I can get some new inspiration for them, so please enjoy these new stories._

_**Disclaimer: **__Pokemon and the games don't belong to me, but this story sure as hell does._

* * *

Standing in a garden with leaves of multiple colors raining down around a young woman with long brown hair, wearing an aqua blue sleeveless blouse and knee length socks, a red dress and shoes. She was looked at the grave site of her mom and dad who were supposedly killed in an accident, she found herself alone with, "mom, dad all have in this world is Charmander and my rivalry with Ash," the woman stated with a tear rolling down her face, "if only I were stronger then I wouldn't have lost you both," Leaf professed while holding out her starter pokemon's pokeball, she called out a small orange two legged pokemon with a small fire at the tip of its tail, "I will no longer be standing on the same level I am now, I will go to where Ash is and catch up to his level," Leaf declared with a confident glare.

Leaf walked away from the grave of her parents and looked back, the red, orange, brown and yellow leaves rained down around the head stone, "Leaf, we need to go to Hoenn now!" a female voice echoed from the distance. The brunette looked up to see a young woman with long blue hair, wearing a pink dress and a white sleeveless blouse, "May and Drew are waiting for us to meet up with them," she said with a proud smile.

"Dawn, I know what you want to do, contests, but I am simply not interested in contests, I want to go where Ash is," Leaf replied to her friend's request.

"Come on Leaf, why not try the gym leaders?" Dawn asked her friend joyously. Leaf shook her head and looked back to the entrance of the family cemetery, "I get it, you need to find an answer," Dawn commented with a smile.

"Yes Dawn, I thank you for the offer, but I need to do this," Leaf remarked while Dawn turned around with her hair swaying as she turned around.

"You're in love with Ash aren't you?" Dawn asked cheekily.

Leaf jumped back unsure of how to respond, her normally confident expression was soon changed to embarrassment, her face red and her normally determined blue eyes gained a softer tone, "what gave you that idea?" Leaf asked the bluenette, shocked at the question that Dawn gave her, "Ash and I have been rivals for nearly ten years," Leaf commented with while trying to hide her blush from her friend.

"Rival's yeah right, from what I heard from Gary Oak, the only reason why you got a pokemon in the first place was so you can travel with Ash," Dawn retorted while looking up to the cloudless sky.

"Screw that bastard, I never liked Gary, he always tried to make himself out to be better than Ash or me," Leaf commented while crossing her arms in displeasure. Leaf walked away from the bluenette, it was a cool day and the young woman started to shiver, "you know Dawn compared to all of you, I felt like I was falling behind, like I was nothing compared to you, even Ash," Leaf professed with a saddened tone.

Dawn clenched her fists hoping to find an answer to Leaf's problem, it was then that she lifted her head and tried to say something meaningful but felt like her words would only make it worse, "you want to impress Ash right?" Dawn asked the brunette quietly.

"That isn't the only thing Dawn, I want to prove to everyone that I can stand on my own two feet," Leaf kindly stated while grasping her starter's pokeball.

Leaf walked away from her friend who shared a concerned expression with her starter pokemon, "I would say no need to worry, but now I am worried about my friend," Dawn told herself while thinking about the hardships the brunette had been through, she thought about calling Barry to let him know that she will be longer than expected but changed her mind knowing that Barry wouldn't be patient enough to wait for her to return home, "it would be a mistake for me to call him, Barry is far too impatient," Dawn reminded herself while watching her friend leaving towards the docks of the town

A young man with spiky brown hair walked up to Dawn with a concerned expression on his face, "Dawn, trying to help a friend out I see, even though you know little of her past," he said with a proud smile.

"But Gary, you know me, help my friends out even if I know little about them," Dawn replied with pride.

Gary watched as the brunette walked down the street on her own, not looking back to see Gary watching her, "Dawn, Leaf has had a tough past, in school everyone used to make fun of her because she was the poorest student in the school," Gary explained the past to Dawn who turned her gaze to the woman walking away.

"But she acts to tough and independent," Dawn replied in shock.

Gary shook his head and looked away in shame, "you're right about it being an act, she still hurts to this day, you know her parents died recently and her greatest source of inspiration is off in a far off region, she can't even afford a trip to the Kalos region," Gary stated.

_(Flashback)_

A young Leaf walked into the school not dressed as well as the other students who were in suits, she was wearing a set of normal cloths, "why do I have to attend?" Leaf asked her mother and father.

"Come on Leaf, at least try your best," Leaf's mother requested her child with a proud smile.

Leaf walked into the school yard waving goodbye for the day, after her parents disappeared she walked towards a group of students who were talking, "oh look the rumours are true," one of the students replied cynically.

"Hi my name is Leaf, pleased to meet you," Leaf politely greeted the students.

"How adorable, the poorest student in the school wants to be friends with normal people," one of the students stated with a cold laugh, this was soon followed by the laughter of the rest of the group, "go home already this school doesn't need someone who has no money," the student stated with a dark grin.

"But I am here to help my family by getting a pokemon and becoming a famous trainer," Leaf replied while holding back tears from the constant laughing as it got louder and more vicious from the group of people, Leaf looked around to find only one of the students not laughing at her, she noticed a sweet smile on his face, 'who is that guy?' Leaf wondered to herself.

It was then that a girl with orange hair walked up to her and grabbed her by the collar, "you see that guy over there?" the girl asked Leaf with an angered expression, she pointed over to him and glared, "he is the most popular guy in the school, he belongs to me," the young girl said with anger before throwing Leaf to the ground.

A few hours later, Leaf was walking towards the exit of the school alone, "you know, what Misty said was out line even for her," a student said with a frown, the girl turned around and started to get a little worried about him, "I might be the most popular student in the school, but I never asked for that status," the student claimed with a sigh.

"M-my name is Leaf," the girl introduced herself to the male student with spiky black hair.

"Nice to meet you Leaf, my name is Ash Ketchum, I want to be the best trainer ever," Ash said with a warm smile, "you know it is best that you don't walk home alone, how about I walk you home," Ash suggested calmly.

"But, you're the most popular student in the school, what if Misty gets really angry?" Leaf questioned Ash with a worried expression.

"Being the most popular has nothing to do with it and with Misty she only acts like she is my girlfriend, no matter how many times I have rejected her," Ash replied to the girl while walking to her side.

The duo walked away from the school and towards Leaf's house, "so Ash, what is your dream?" Leaf asked curiously.

Ash looked up to the clouds and smiled proudly, "my dream, well let's see, to become the number one trainer in the world," Ash replied with a broad grin.

"That's a great dream, but I guess mine is just nothing but a dream," Leaf said with disdain while walking next to Ash.

Weeks later Ash was walking into the school yard, he looked around to see Leaf getting bullied again, Ash rushed over to Leaf's defence, he glared at the people bullying her, "so, you think it's fun to bully people who cannot stand up for themselves, how about trying to bully me instead," Ash growled at his fellow students before a small yellow pokemon with red cheek pouches appeared next to him.

Leaf looked up to Ash standing in front of her, he face covered in dirt, scratches and a small amount of blood, 'Ash, he is sacrificing his popularity for me,' Leaf thought while looking to the ground in shame of her weakness.

"Nothing to worry about, but you need to learn to stand up for yourself, Misty is strong in a group but in reality she isn't that strong," Ash encouraged the girl while pulling out a pokeball, he droppe it in front of the girl and nodded at her, "here is a sign of my friendship to you, a pokemon I asked Professor Oak for so I can give it to you," Ash said with a smirk.

"But, people will still bully me," Leaf submitted.

"What I am about to do would get me expelled, but I really don't care, I can't stand bullies," Ash replied with a chuckle. "Pikachu stop them from bullying Leaf with Thunderbolt!" Ash yelled out his command. The small yellow pokemon unleashed a powerful blast of electricity shocking everyone except for Ash and Leaf.

A teacher saw what had unfolded and walked over to Ash, "for a really popular student, you would do this much to stand up for someone else, don't worry too much I will pretend I didn't it happen," the teacher said with a smile, she walked away knowing that she could also get into trouble for not reporting the incident.

"Crap, and I was doing this so I can get away from this place, I am proud of being a student here, but I am not proud of what this place is becoming," Ash complained while snapping his fingers in displeasure, he turned around to see Leaf crying while not even wanting to touch the pokeball, Ash knelt down and cleared away the tears, "what kind of person would I be if I let my friend get bullied?" Ash questioned the girl while wiping away the tears.

Leaf started to shiver at the feel of Ash clearing away her tears, 'he thinks of me as a friend,' Leaf thought while her face started to heat up, 'no one has ever been this nice to me,' Leaf thought while looking up to look into Ash's brown eyes and that smile, her heart started racing almost ready to explode from her chest.

"Plus, I want you to travel with me as we compete in the Kanto League," Ash declared before seeing Leaf faint from the idea that Ash had presented her. "I guess she didn't know how to reply," Ash said while getting to his feet.

_(Return from flashback)_

"Wow, so Ash was Leaf's first friend, I can see why she fell in love with him in the first place," Dawn said with guilt.

"Yeah and in Ash's infinite wisdom still had no clue that Leaf has feelings for him," Gary joked while spotting an assistant running towards him, "that's gramps' assistant," Gary said with a surprised expression.

"Professor Gary, it's Leaf," the assistant said while trying to gather his breath.

"What about her?" Gary asked in reply.

"She snuck onto a plane heading towards the Kalos Region," the lab worker replied while panting.

"What? But there was no way Leaf could afford a flight, so she is stowing away to follow Ash," Gary said while getting ready to run to the airport with Dawn following close behind, "Dawn, we must keep this quiet from Gramps do you understand?" Gary questioned the bluenette with a stern tone.

"I know, I don't think we should worry other people," Dawn agreed with her friend.

Meanwhile Leaf was sitting in the luggage area of the plane, with her arms around her legs, her first pokemon in her hands, "Ash, when next we meet, I will be strong, I will be confident enough to tell you that I love you," Leaf told herself while burying her head between her knees. "Ash, I will become stronger, without anyone's help, to erase all the bad memories and find my happiness," Leaf whispered while bracing herself for the take-off of the plane.

Leaf heard the pilot's announcement on the PA as the plane lifted off the ground, "we are heading the Kalos region ladies and gents, be sure to fasten your seatbelts until we reach our optimum altitude," the pilot declared while the plane continued to climb towards the correct altitude.

"Sorry Dawn and Gary, but I need to do this," Leaf said while clasping onto her pokeball.

_(Lumiose City)_

Ash was walking through the massive city, with his first pokemon on his shoulders, he looked around to see the people riding the goat like pokemon, "I guess traveling the Kalos region has been really nice, I have seen tons of pokemon I have never imagined, you know buddy it would have been nice for me to bring Leaf here," Ash stated while his partner pokemon tilted his head in shock wondering what his trainer was talking about.

"I know buddy, Leaf was never perfect, but you know she was always a kind and compassionate person, I was dense for a long time, but I had the feeling she is in love with me, but I was too stupid to say anything," Ash explained to his partner pokemon with a sad smile, he scratched the back of his head and remembered the days she was being bullied, he looked a picture of him and Misty being the prom king and queen respectively, "you know buddy this picture is wrong, I can't believe people voted me and Misty, I wanted Leaf to be the prom queen with me," Ash professed while his partner pokemon started to spark at the cheeks.

Ash ripped the picture in half and threw the half with Misty on it in the bin, "sure she is a friend but I never really enjoyed the dance," Ash said with a frown before walking away from the torn half.

Being the most popular left a bad taste in Ash's mouth, he knew that the people he had met thought he was the coolest and Leaf was nothing but a piece of garbage to them, easy to make fun of because of her poor upbringing, with the mean words echoing in his mind, but he also knew that Gary soon turned around and became one of Leaf's closest friends and Dawn and May quickly grew up to help Leaf out as her time in Pokemon Academy continued.

Ash knew that Misty hadn't grown to accept Leaf into their group and made sure that she did everything to make her feel uncomforatable, even not inviting her to her eighteenth birthday three years back, "Misty never liked Leaf, she never made any attempt to become her friend," Ash said with regret.

Not wanting to dwell on the past Ash walked towards the exit of the major city, Ash continued to notice the pokemon walking through the streets, the trainer looked back and thought about the past events that led to this day, "I guess I am still learning about pokemon, there are so many different types out there."

Back in the Kanto Region Gary and Dawn made it to the airport to get the tickets they needed to make it to the Kalos Region, "I can't believe Leaf would go through all this trouble just for Ash," Gary complained while running through the small airport towards the plane he and Dawn needed to board to catch up with Leaf.

Dawn shook her head in shock at what her friend had just complained about, "well Gary, you need to expect that sort of stuff with Leaf, Ash was the first one to stand up for her and to be her friend," Dawn replied with a proud smile, "I cannot expect anything less from Leaf, after all I had to learn that Leaf was a person just like me," Dawn said with shame as she ran up to the entrance to the plane that she needed to get on to fly to the Kalos region.

"I still don't get it, It isn't like Ash to be an influence on someone," Gary stated with a smirk.

"As I said earlier Gary, something that went in one ear and out the other, is that Leaf loves Ash," Dawn commented with a smile as she took her seat to get ready for the flight. Dawn sat down and looked out the window, she wondered what her two friends were doing now, "she wants to be strong for Ash," Dawn said while a small blue penguin like pokemon jumped onto her lap, 'when we get to the Kalos Region, I will need a new attire,' Dawn thought while looking at her normal attire of a pink skirt, boots, black vest and white blouse.

"Hey Dawn, I have a question for you," Gary requested with a cheeky smirk.

Dawn looked up to her friend and shook her head, "I know what you are going to ask Gary, the answer is no," Dawn retorted smugly as she tilted her head up much to the annoyance of Gary.

"I was going to ask if you have feelings for Ash as well," Gary replied with a grin.

"Well didn't most girls at school have a crush on Ash, I knew you were jealous of Ash for Misty having a crush on him," Dawn replied smartly as Gary looked away from the bluenette who was laughing at him.

"What? Me jealous of Ash, hell no, I just wanted to impress Misty, but I was a little annoyed at the fact that Misty always ignored me," Gary replied while looking around for his own seat.

Dawn burst out into laughter while Gary looked around, "well at least May and I moved on," Dawn mentioned, she looked out the window knowing the Barry was going to be upset, 'I guess going on adventures like we all dreamed is becoming a reality, even Leaf is going to follow that dream even if she isn't ready, but I think she will prove us wrong,' Dawn thought while thinking about the times she hung out with Leaf and May, she felt really bad knowing that Misty never joined them, it was during the times she hung out with Leaf that she began to realize that she was a determined girl with goals like everyone else, "you know Piplup, when Ash and Misty were prom king and queen, I get the feeling that Ash didn't want that title because he felt Misty was too obsessive," Dawn stated while her small penguin pokemon looked up with his large black eyes fixed on his trainer.

Gary sat on his seat with a book in hand, "I guess Ash seems to have all the luck with the women, I wonder if one day he could be my wingman," Gary thought out loud while wondering how to ask his friend about the position.

On another plane Leaf was sitting in the luggage compartment now starting to feel hungry, "I remember when Ash use to give me food, when my family was barely managing, he was my first friend, then I started to make more first it was Dawn, May, Gary and then there was more, I was never as popular as them, but I was always happy to know that I was making friends," Leaf told herself while taking her ragged backpack off of her shoulders. The brunette opened her bag up to find only a small amount of clothes and food inside, "wow, I guess I wasn't ready, but I cannot look back now, I need to forge my own road ahead," Leaf reminded herself as she realised that the plane was starting to descend.

"We are about to land near Lumiose City, remain in your seats with your seatbelts on," the pilot requested.

Leaf sat down with her back towards the luggage, she knew that it was almost time for her to search for Ash, but maybe even see the world and become what she had always dreamed of, a powerful trainer that saw the world and experienced everything, "Professor Oak, thank you for getting me into the school, but now it is time for me to grow on my own, Dawn and Gary, no all of my friends even you Misty, you helped me forge my own road," Leaf said with a proud smile as she waited for the doors to open up so she could get out and to see the massive city on her own, "then there is you Ash."

Leaf watched as the cargo bay opened up and waited for the chance to make her escape, Leaf waited for her chance, she spotted an opening and leapt off the plane, she started running towards the luggage area forgetting something in the meantime, "sir it seems as though someone stowed away on the flight," one of the luggage collectors said with a frown holding up Leaf's backpack.

Leaf looked at her backpack and knew that if she collected it she would be in a lot of trouble, "my journey cannot end like this, I need to go forward, Ash would do the same thing," Leaf kept telling herself, running towards a shrubbery keeping out of sight of the guards.

Leaf continued to find the lapses in the guards patrol and ran to areas that weren't as well guarded, it was then that she finally ran towards the airport limits running towards a forest which was bordering a major city. Leaf looked back in relief knowing that her backpack was forever gone along with her favourite photo of her and Ash, "it was the first time we held hands, he was always oblivious to my love for him," Leaf said with laughter.

Leaf continued to walk through the forest with the sounds of the major City guiding her, after clearing the massive tree line, the brunette looked up with dirt covering her face to see a massive city in front of her, a tower that dominated the skylines, I awe at the sight, she walked into the city to find people riding never before seen pokemon, in amazement that the large goat like creatures were allowing people riding them, "so Ash has been seeing this," Leaf said in amazement. The poor girl continued to admire the massive city, the smell of the perfume permeating through the air and the sounds of shopping ringing through every street, "this city is huge, my family never took me to such an amazing place, I guess I missed out on so much," Leaf said with sadness while placing her pokeball on her only bit of clothes that she had left over which was a gift to her from her friends.

All she had was Charmander, a pokemon that Ash had given her three years to the day, it was something that she held close to her heart, it was the pokemon she looked after no matter how poor she was, but she considered herself lucky that she had friends like Dawn and May. Leaf gulped while looking around to see a professor with spiky blue hair wearing a lab coat, he was holding a brief case ready to give out pokemon to the starting new trainers.

Leaf nervously approached the man with the hopes of getting his assistance, "I hope I don't get found out by the police," Leaf whispered knowing that the airfield guards were out there looking for her.

Leaf followed the man into the lab in hopes of starting her journey with her own pokemon, "excuse me sir, can I please get a pokedex and five pokeballs?" Leaf asked the professor surprising him with her question.

"My name is professor Sycamore, who are you?" the professor asked with a broad grin.

Leaf looked at her pokeball and gulped again, "my name is Leaf, I am from Pallet Town in the Kanto region, I want to compete in the next Kalos League," Leaf introduced herself to the man who was surprised to meet another Kanto native, 'judging by his reaction, Ash must have been here a little while ago,' Leaf assumed before being given the items she required.

"Leaf ha, Ash was telling me about you, he told me that if you wanted to start your journey that I should give you what you needed," the kind man said with a proud smile. Leaf politely took the items and bowed to the professor with a thankful smile. "You have five months before the Kalos League starts, this region is massive," the professor said with a frown but the woman ignored him and ran straight to the exit of the building, 'what is she trying to prove?' the professor questioned curiously.

Leaf ran through the city to excited about the start of her first journey and the road it might take her on, "now I can catch up with you Ash! Wait for me!" Leaf yelled out for everyone to hear, excited that she was going to start fresh on her journey, 'I need to thank Ash, I will thank him by beating him in the Kalos League,' Leaf told herself before looking back towards the lab and them towards the large tower in the middle of the city, "when next I see that tower I will be standing next to Ash, looking at it with the night sky as a backdrop, I will be standing by his side," Leaf said with unyielding faith in her hopes as she walked towards the entrance to the city on her own.

Meanwhile at the airport Gary spotted a familiar backpack at the front counter of the luggage collection area, "hey Dawn look that's Leaf's bag," Gary pointed to the backpack.

Dawn wondered what was going on, she knew that Leaf would never leave her bag that Ash gave her, no matter how tattered it got, she would never leave that gift behind, "Yeah Leaf must have forgotten it, but normally there is no way she would abandon Ash's present to her," Dawn replied with a concerned expression.

The duo walked over to the front counter to claim the bag, "excuse me, one of our friends left that here, can we claim that so we can return it to her?" Gary asked the receptionist.

"Well your friend is in a lot of trouble, you can take it but you need to hand her in," the person replied leaving Gary and Dawn concerned for what their friend has done.

"Sorry about that, she doesn't have a lot of money and she really had her heart set on traveling the world," Gary stated with a frown.

Dawn took the bag and walked towards the exit, she knew that if her friend got caught she might wind up going to jail, she clenched her fists and knew that what she would do would help her friend, "Gary, let's go, we need to help Leaf, I would hate for her journey to end before she gets a chance to prove herself to Ash," Dawn told the trainer behind her.

At the other side of the City Ash was getting ready to leave to face the next lot of challenges, his red jacket and blue jeans seemed like it had received a lot of wear, but his new friends were waiting for him to exit the city, "come on Ash hurry up," called a female with brown hair wearing a pink blouse and denin shorts with pink sandles.

"Yeah Ash, we don't have all day," a man with spiky brown hair, wearing a green shirt with brown jeans and white shoes.

"Alright Brock and Shauna, I was just getting something sorted out for an old friend," Ash said with a smile.

'Leaf, when will he say something to her?' Brock wondered while watching his friend walk pass him, ready to recommence their journey though the Kalos region.

* * *

**Alright this is the first chapter done and dusted; Ash is half way through the region while Leaf is playing catch up. **

**Leaf's journey begins with her seemingly in trouble with the law, but will that stop her from catching up with Ash? **

**Next time chapter 2: Road of Dreams**

_I will be waiting for the next lot of Information (hoping that it will not be too far off) on the Kalos region so please be patient on the next release. Please review this chapter and tell me what you think, there are school days but it still isn't a High School fic. _

_Also be on the look-out for Separate Roads an Ash and Serena (X and Y) story. _


	2. Road of Dreams

**Chapter 2: Road of Dreams.**

_This one will be a serious story, and has an overarching story, it mostly centres around Leaf and her trials while eventually catching up with her love interest Ash Ketchum. This chapter is a build up chapter before I get into the really good parts of the story, luckily with more information just around the corner I should be able to start sooner than expected as well._

_Oh and almost forgot a few more ages._

_Gary: 20_

_Dawn: 19_

_Shauna: 17_

_Brock: 25_

_Since the information is limited, this chapter will be centred in Lumiose City._

* * *

Leaf walked around the large city wondering where to go, lost in the labyrinth that was Lumiose City, she had never seen such a large city before, she had never been outside Pallet Town where she spent most of her life, in awe at the tall buildings that surrounded her, she looked around in amazement to see more people riding a large brown pokemon holding the horns and green shrubs on their backs, "I have never seen anything like it, what are those pokemon?" Leaf enquired while pulling out her new pokedex, she scanned the new pokemon to gather information, the top part of the device slid up revealing a large blue screen.

The device gave information about the new pokemon causing the woman to gasp in awe, "wow, a pokemon that allows you to ride on it, I really want one," Leaf squealed while walking up to the pokemon.

Not realising that her other friends were walking up behind her, she started to pet the Gogoat gently, "alright Leaf, time to bring you back home," Gary said, standing next to the woman who then spotted Dawn with her backpack.

"When did you two get here?" Leaf asked in surprise.

Dawn handed over the bag that was given to her by Ash, "Leaf, I don't think you should make Ash worry, you know how protective he gets concerning you," Dawn commented.

Leaf grabbed the bag and looked at it for a moment, "Dawn, you know what I have had to go through, in the past, you and Gary didn't help, you were a part of the group that bullied me in school," Leaf replied with a frown.

Dawn looked away with guilt, she sighed sadly knowing that what her friend said was true, "you're right Leaf, I never helped, but eventually people grow up, when Ash hung out with you I felt a little jealous," Dawn admitted but clenched her hands tightly before looking up to the brunette, "but over time, I began to realise that you were an amazing person, you might not have had any money, but you lived life the way you wanted to always against the odds, but these odds are far too much even for me and Ash," Dawn explained the problem to her friend.

Leaf shook her head and turned around, "I don't care Dawn, I will face whatever odds that come my way, and I will succeed," Leaf said with determination.

Dawn impressed by the brunette's determination nodded, Gary stood in disbelief knowing that there was no changing her mind, 'this isn't the same girl I bullied all those years ago, I can see why I began to respect her more,' Dawn reminded herself about what she had done, it was those times where she hung out with Leaf and Ash that helped changed her perspective of her, "it was because I realised the type of person you are Leaf, strong and determined, you let nothing hold you back even Ash," Dawn said with a smirk while raising her hand into the air, "this is something I reserve only for Ash," Dawn told her friend with a proud smile.

Leaf raised her hand in the air and high fived Dawn, "thanks for understanding Dawn," Leaf replied joyfully as her tears started to build up.

"Well I cannot help you Leaf, I have an important research I need to deal with, but here," Gary explained his situation while handing over a wad of cash to the brunette, "I know you have been raised in a poor family, so use this money as you need it," Gary instructed his friend before walking off towards the exit of the city leaving Leaf and Dawn in the city on their own.

"He won't admit it, but then again men are strange creatures," Dawn giggled while Leaf looked amazed at the cash that was given to her, Dawn noted the fact that Leaf had never seen so much money in her life, "come on Leaf, I will help you prepare for your journey in the Kalos region," Dawn said while looking around for a shop to help her friend, "I know I have said this far too many times but I still want to know, I am sorry for what happened in our schooling days," Dawn stated with a smile as she led Leaf towards the shops.

"Nothing to worry about Dawn, stop apologising, I already forgave you and the rest of Ash's friends even Misty who I know for a fact still hates me," Leaf retorted proudly.

Dawn smiled at her friend and nodded at her, "I see," Dawn retorted fondly.

The two girls walked through the metropolis to help Leaf start her journey, it was the first time for Leaf and she knew that her road to catch up with Ash was going to be a difficult one, but the brunette was determined to follow her choice to the very end, "you don't need to come with me, I can follow my goal on my own."

Dawn sighed quietly, "yes Leaf, but I want to see this region too, remember, you will be a rival to Ash and he doesn't know it either," Dawn replied calmly, she looked at the almost destroyed bag and smiled for a moment, 'did you know she was coming to catch up with you Ash?' Dawn wondered while memories of Ash tutoring Leaf in the School library rushed through her mind, "you know Leaf, we also should get you a new bag," Dawn suggested with certainty.

Leaf held the backpack close to her and shook her head, "no Dawn, Ash gave me this bag for my birthday, I simply cannot get rid of this bag," Leaf returned while looking at her almost destroyed backpack, "you should know about that sort of stuff, you have something of value as well," Leaf commented while remembering Dawn staring at her mother's first ribbon.

"You're right Leaf, I do have something that no matter what, I can never get rid of it," Dawn professed.

The two girls walked up to the mall, it was crowded with shoppers, a fancy place that was expensive it was a place that Leaf had never seen before, the customer service workers were wearing mostly black suits, helping the people out, "um Dawn, don't you think that this place is a little up market?" Leaf asked with uncertainty about Dawn's choice of shopping location.

"Oh come on Leaf, if you want to impress Ash, you need to," Dawn started while pushing the brunette into the shopping facility.

"Don't say it Dawn, I am certain Ash would want me to look my best," Leaf replied to her friend.

Dawn continued to push her friend around the shop, wondering what to buy for the journey, "if you want to make a name for yourself Leaf and become famous, you need to look good in the process," Dawn commented playfully as she looked over towards a set of clothes that seem to suit the woman she was trying to help.

"What about Barry, you know he normally gets really upset if you help other people over him," Leaf said nervously while a pile of clothes were forced into her arms.

Dawn peered from the corner and grinned at her friend, "what's he going to do? Fine me?" Dawn asked while doing her best imitation of her boyfriend.

Leaf shook her head while a pair of shoes landed on the clothes and a nice hat, "um Dawn, I don't feel comfortable, I have never been shopping before, plus I only have five months to catch up to Ash," Leaf complained but Dawn in her carefree attitude, pushed her friend into the fitting rooms.

"Now try those clothes I found for you," Dawn demanded while walking away from the fitting rooms, she looked at her starter pokemon and sighed with guilt, 'I want to fix the mistakes I made, against Leaf, I was such a kid in those days,' Dawn reminded herself while her memories started to flash in her mind with her nasty attitude to Leaf, but it was when she first became friends with her that was seared into her memories.

_(Flashback)_

It was a cold winters day, the snow was covering the ground and Leaf was chasing after Dawn who had taken her jacket, it was a day that Ash was sick and she knew it too, Dawn knew how much Ash stood up for Leaf, "oh come on Leaf, there is no one to stand up for you," Dawn teased the brunette with a nasty laugh.

"Dawn, Watch out!" Leaf called out to the bluenette before crashing into a large brown pokemon, Leaf grabbed her pokeball and gulped, 'Ash was always so strong,' Leaf thought while picturing her friends Pikachu fighting off a group of fire type pokemon as he defended her from the bullies in school.

Dawn looked up in fear as the large bear like pokemon glared at her ready to slash down at her ready to kill her in a moment's notice, she closed her eyes and winced in fright, it was at that moment a powerful burst of flames crashed into the normal pokemon, Dawn looked up again after wincing in fear, she spotted Leaf standing next to her staring at the hibernation pokemon, "Leaf," Dawn called out in surprise, 'I was so mean to her and she still saves my life,' Dawn thought while she watched as the much weaker pokemon received a powerful Hammer Arm from the angry pokemon.

"Charmander!" Leaf screamed out in horror as another pokemon unleashed a powerful water attack on the angry pokemon.

"You will not hurt Leaf, Piplup attack with Ice Beam," Dawn instructed her pokemon quickly. The small blue pokemon powered up an icy attack before firing it at the normal pokemon.

Leaf watched in shock as she began to realise that even Dawn was stronger than her with pokemon, she sighed and recalled her pokemon, not wanting any thanks she walked away with her fist clenched, hurting that there was no way she could hope to be at their level, 'why am I so weak?' Leaf questioned herself with tears rolling down her face.

"Wait Leaf, there is something I want to say to you," Dawn called out to the brunette, but she didn't want to hear it, but Dawn persisted and ran over to her, jacket in hand she gave it back to her and smiled sweetly at her, "thank you Leaf, you saved my life, if there is anything you want help with, please don't hesitate to ask," Dawn instructed the brown haired girl happily.

Leaf in shock tried to drown out the rest of the noise, Dawn extended her hand out waiting for her to shake it, "after all you did in the past, you expect me to forgive you, I can only trust Ash at the moment," Leaf said with a frown.

Dawn nodded and started to feel guilty at her own actions, "I know Leaf, I was wrong, I don't expect you to forgive me straight away, but I hope in time you do forgive me," Dawn said with a cheeky smile, "hey you want to visit Ash, I know he has been pretty sick for the last few days, I am sure we can help him get over his illness," Dawn suggested.

Leaf was feeling uncomfortable about this, apart from Ash she never had any friends, "are you going to trick me?" Leaf asked still feeling that Dawn was being untrustworthy.

Dawn shook her head and smiled at the brunette, "I said, I am not expecting you to forgive me straight away," Dawn replied maturely, she walked a head of the girl and stopped when she noticed that Leaf wasn't walking next to her, "well what are waiting for the Flu?" Dawn asked the girl with a smile.

Leaf cautiously walked over to Dawn and walked next to her, expecting Dawn to do something she was surprised to find that Dawn wasn't going to do anything, 'she isn't going to do anything,' Leaf said while starting to ease up her tension.

Dawn pointed at a house with a red roof, "you see that's Ash's home, I usually go there with Gary, Misty, May and some of our other friends to do a study night," Dawn said with a smile. "I know for a fact that you also have a study time with Ash," Dawn commented while Leaf started to blush at the comment, Dawn noticed this and her grin started to broaden, "Say Leaf, do you have a crush on Ash?" Dawn asked the brunette with a playful smile.

"What makes you think that Dawn?" Leaf questioned her new friend.

Dawn started to laugh as the brunette huffed her cheeks up and crossed her arms, "it's fine Leaf, a lot of girls have a crush on Ash, but you need to be careful with Misty," Dawn warned the girl while patting her back.

"Why Dawn?" Leaf questioned nervously.

"As you found out a while ago Leaf, Misty can be a little possessive, even with Ash, he even said it was a little annoying, in all honesty I don't see you that way, I see that you want to prove yourself even to Ash," Dawn replied as she explained the problem Ash had with Misty, "to be honest I would love to see Misty's face when Ash ends up with another girl other than her," Dawn said with a smug smile as she looked over to Leaf.

"So we're rivals now," Leaf replied with a sigh.

"You and I are rivals, for I to have crush on Ash, I don't mind losing to you, just as long as I don't lose to Misty," Dawn professed with a clenched fist. The two girls walked up to the front door of the house Dawn knocked while Leaf stood behind the blunette nervously, "no need to worry Leaf," Dawn told her new friend.

"I have never been to Ash's house before, what are his parent's like?" Leaf questioned quietly.

"Well Ash's father hasn't been back in ten years, but Delia Ketchum is a really nice person," Dawn replied with a smile as the aforementioned person greeted them, the woman with brown hair, caring brown eyes, wearing a pink cardigan and a lilac dress, "Leaf, I would like you to meet Delia Ketchum," Dawn introduced the brunette to Ash's mother.

"So, you're Leaf," Delia said in a warm tone.

"Hello Mrs Ketchum," Leaf bowed politely.

"Stop that, just call me Delia," Delia replied with a gentle smile, "and Dawn, Ash is still in bed, so if you're here to visit him, he should be awake by now," Delia told Ash's friend calmly.

"I think I will wait outside," Leaf stated with a frown.

Dawn walked behind the girl and placed her hand into her back, "yeah and let you catch a cold, like I would let that happen," Dawn replied as she pushed the younger brunette into the house.

After entering the house Dawn told Ash's mother about the events that occurred earlier, it amazed Delia that Dawn would be that kind of person, but was also thankful that Leaf showed courage when she was being bullied by Dawn, "that's right, Leaf was amazing, I didn't deserve to be saved, but she did it anyway," Dawn commented with great pride.

Ash walked down to hear Dawn talking about Leaf's courage, he watched with a smile knowing that Leaf had finally made a new friend, "so Dawn, you finally accepted Leaf as a friend," Ash said while crossing his arms, he walked into the warm room, sneezing on the way, but that didn't stop him, he knew it was time for him to start his journey, he cleared his throat and looked at the two girls, "I am dropping out of school, I want to start my journey now," Ash decreed while the girls looked on in shock.

"But the Prom is only a week away," Dawn and Leaf replied in unison.

_(Return from Flashback)_

Dawn continued to think about what led her to be friends with Leaf, she remembered when herself and May had to stand up for Leaf who wasn't able to, "Misty was horrible, I couldn't believe that she would act like that," Dawn reminded herself while thinking about the motive behind it, "I guess Leaf has had a lot going against her, but this is for her to prove to others and to herself that she can stand on her own two feet," Dawn told herself before hearing Leaf walking out of the fitting room, Dawn looked up to see Leaf wearing a red dress and a black blouse, her hair tied up with no hat on, "well, don't you look presentable," Dawn teased her friend as she led her to the front counter.

After paying for the items Leaf looked around the shopping centre wondering what Dawn was up to, "um, what are we doing next?" Leaf asked quietly.

"Oh come on, you can't expect to survive out in the wild without food," Dawn replied in disbelief.

Leaf started to feel a little uneasy about this treatment from Dawn, "aren't there berries out in the wild?" Leaf asked the coordinator.

"You need more than just berries Leaf, you require vegetables and all sorts of food good for traveling," Dawn remarked as she led the brunette into the food stalls, "you see Leaf, it is important to maintain a healthy diet when traveling," Dawn stated while Leaf listened with great intent, "also Leaf take it easy, remember what I said when we first became friends?" Leaf asked the brunette.

Leaf looked away wondering what to do next, a smile graced her lips and started to feel slightly embarrassed, "you told me if I ever need anything, not to hesitate to ask," Leaf replied while following Dawn into the shop.

"That's right, May, Drew, Brock, me and everyone will be there to help you, still not sure about Misty, but even if you are penniless, we will be there to help you out because that's what friends do," Dawn explained the groups plans for Leaf, the brunette started to cry at hearing that she had finally found out that Dawn would be around to help her out, "what's the matter Leaf?" Dawn asked softly.

"I never had so many great friends, I was always alone," Leaf confessed to Dawn sadly.

"Is that how my rival is to act, crying because you finally realised that you had so many cool friends," Dawn said with a laugh.

Leaf cleared her tears and looked up to Dawn, "rival, what do you mean?" Leaf asked the blue haired girl.

"I haven't given up on Ash yet, but then again neither has May, and I hope you don't either," Dawn retorted happily as she walked through the aisles with Leaf picking up supplies for their journey. After paying for the items Leaf and Dawn walked out and started to get ready to pack things up ready for their journey in the Kalos region.

"What about Barry?" Leaf questioned her friend.

Dawn started to laugh, "he was always trying to get me to go out with him, I said I would help him out, but never stated when," Dawn replied with a cheeky grin.

"I bet I can imagine what he is saying now," Leaf giggled at Barry's misfortune.

Dawn and Leaf walked to the Pokemon Centre located in the middle of the massive city, walking through the streets with the Gogoats helping their trainers out, "wow, I have never seen pokemon like that," Dawn said in wonderment.

"My new pokedex said that these are Gogoat, they allow for people to ride them and that when trainers take their horns, the bond between trainer and their Gogoat becomes stronger," Leaf informed Dawn about the new pokemon.

"Amazing," Dawn replied amazed the information given to her by her friend.

After reaching the medical facility Dawn walked over to the phone, she knew that Barry was going to be upset, but that didn't bother her too much, after dialling the number of Barry into the phone she started to regret her actions, "Dawn, it's an emergency, there is no one to be my training dummy," Barry complained in a careless manner.

"Shut up Barry, I am no one's training dummy, plus I am travelling in the Kalos region for a while," Dawn berated Barry angrily.

Barry stopped trying to interrupt Dawn and looked at her serious expression, "but I need someone to help me train for the Hoenn League," Barry argued back.

Dawn shook her head and sighed at the same time, "train yourself, you're an experienced trainer much like Ash and I don't see him making such childish requests," Dawn stated while Leaf watched the exchange from a safe distance, Barry started to complain even more and loudly before Dawn sighed again, she hung up on Barry and walked away from the phone, "well, it is almost time to start your journey Leaf, the good news is, I am coming along to not only help you out, but to also see what other pokemon are in this region," Dawn explained her plan to Leaf.

"I am more than capable of looking after myself now Dawn, thanks for the help," Leaf thankfully before slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

"No Leaf, I mean it, I want to see this region, plus I can help you train up, I want you to be strong enough to defeat Ash," Dawn decreed while walking up to her friend with a broad grin. Leaf nodded and the two girls walked out of the building to face their new challenges in the Kalos region, "wait a minute Leaf, you need to register for the Kalos League," Dawn said quickly.

Leaf rushed back into the building and gave her pokedex to the pink haired nurse at the front counter, the pokedex was quickly scanned allowing for the registration to be complete, "alright now that is done, time to collect the gym badges," Leaf said with excitement, she walked back out of the medical facility and approached a waiting bluenette.

"Everything is set, now it's time to start the journey," Dawn commented while looking around to see which way to go, 'great I wish I got a map of this city,' Dawn thought with disdain.

As the girls looked around the city they were approached by Professor Sycamore who had a briefcase full of items, "this is just great, the people who were supposed to take the Mega Ring left for another region," the Professor complained.

"Excuse me is there something we can help you with?" Leaf asked the professor sincerely.

Augustine looked down at the girls and smiled, "can you two help me with an experiment, I will also give you a pokemon each if you do so," Sycamore replied while the girls looked at the professor eagerly awaiting for the items in question, "it seems like you're both eager to help me out," the professor chuckled while moving his briefcase over his left arm, he opened it up to reveal a black ring for the girls to see, "these are Mega Rings, they help with something called Mega Evolution," the pokemon expert said with a proud smile.

"Wow, amazing," Leaf and Dawn remarked in awe at the items, the professor signalled for them to take the items, they fit the rings on their wrists as the professor pulled out two pokeballs.

"Here are three pokemon to choose from, the first is Fennekin," Sycamore called out a mostly yellow pokemon with a bushy tail and orange fur coming from its ears, "Next is Froakie," Sycamore introduced a blue frog like pokemon with a bubble like collar, then the professor called out a small brown pokemon with a green hard hat and a cute expression on its face, "and this is Chespin."

The two girls looked at the three pokemon and smiled, "okay I will choose Fennekin," Dawn said with a smile, she received the pokeball which allowed her to recall the starter pokemon.

"The I will chose Chespin," Leaf replied, after choosing the brunette received the pokeball and recalled the small grass type pokemon.

"Thank you professor," Dawn thanked the professor with joy.

"Yes, thanks Professor," Leaf said with a grin.

Sycamore pulled out a folded bit of paper from his bag and handed it to Dawn, "oh and here is a map of the region, I sort of know that you both don't have one," the Professor stated while handing the two girls the map of the region.

_(Outside Lumious City)_

Ash sat on a log thinking about the days he had at school with his friends, fond memories that he had shared before he started his journey, he looked up to the sky to see the golden disc hanging over head and a few clouds moving across the bright blue sky, "this region is amazing, I sure hope Leaf can catch up, out of all the people I know, I have never battled her before, plus….." Ash started before seeing his friends placing food on the table.

"Quit living in a dream world Ash, lunch is served," Shauna belittled the trainer.

'Great, now I have to rethink what I was about to say to myself,' Ash thought with disdain, he got to his feet and walked towards the table.

"So Ash, what were you thinking about?" Brock asked his friend with a smile.

Ash started blushing knowing that Brock was right on the ball, "nothing at all Brock," Ash lied to his friends.

Brock started to chuckle at his friend, he knew that he was lying to him, "a bad liar Ash, I know it's more than nothing," Brock replied with pride, "it seems like you have more luck with the girls than I do," Brock laughed at his friend.

The trainer placed his fork on the table and started moaned sadly about the comment his friend made about his luck, "sometimes I wish I never had that luck Brock," Ash confessed while their traveling companion watched the exchange with a perplexed expression, "there was always two girls that were never obsessed with going out with me, the others well let's say that got really fiery," Ash explained while remembering the days he hung out with Leaf, 'she wasn't perfect but I still really liked her,' Ash thought while Brock noticed the fact he was thinking about one of the two girls.

"Ash, you need to say something," Brock pushed his friend but Ash resumed to consume his lunch.

"Well let's get back on the road after lunch," Ash said changing the subject to avoid giving an answer.

'He always does that, especially when he is thinking about Leaf, but I know that the other girl he is talking about is Dawn,' Brock thought while trying to figure out Ash's thoughts, it was like Ash was trying to make a decision and knew that he had the potential to hurt either one of them, "I see Ash, you don't want to hurt them don't you?" Brock enquired but was ignored by Ash who continued to eat his meals still ignoring his friend's enquiries.

Shauna shook her head unable to believe Ash's attitude towards his friend, "Ash don't ignore Brock, he is here to help you," Shauna commented with anger.

"Shauna, this is something Ash needs to figure out, he wants to figure it out for himself," Brock tried to settle the teen down.

Ash looked up with a guilty smile and placed his fork on the table, "thanks you two, nut Brock is right, I need to figure this out on my own," Ash commented quietly.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, sadly there was no information on the Kalos region so the next parts of the story will have to wait I guess. It also means that I will get onto the one shot series with Ash.**

**Next time chapter 3: **

**Well the chapter will get a name depending on the information that comes our way in the next few weeks. So please be patient and thanks for reading the stories,**

**While we wait please have a look at my other stories that I have done, some the two biggest ones are on hiatus for now. They are,**

**Trainer and the Princess 4: Adventures in Hoenn: Ash X Salvia.**

**Almost Easy: Ash X Dawn**


End file.
